PLYMOUTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Superintendent gets high marks on annual review

Friday

May 2, 2014 at 10:00 AM

School Superintendent Gary Maestas has earned top grades in his annual performance review.

Rich Harbert rharbert@wickedlocal.com @richharbertOCM

PLYMOUTH – School Superintendent Gary Maestas has earned top grades in his annual performance review.

The School Committee released the results of its yearly evaluation of the superintendent Monday, giving him an overall score of “exemplary” for the past year.

The board grades the superintendent every spring based on a series of pre-determined performance goals and standards.

Maestas scored proficient or exemplary in every assessment, earning kudos for his leadership, management and vision.

“Dr. Maestas continues to show leadership qualities in every category of measure. He continues to successfully oversee the development of our curriculum, business, human resources and facilities management departments into highly efficient entities whose staff’s advice and guidance is openly sought after by other districts, the town and various educational organizations,” Chairman Dennis Begley said, reading from the performance report.

Begley noted Maestas’ leadership in helping to save the town hundreds of thousands of dollars by leveraging the district’s solar contracts. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has recognized Maestas, he said, by first asking him to act as an investigator of other districts. He now sits on NEASC’s Secondary Schools Board representing Massachusetts.

The review also cites Maestas’ continuing efforts to win approval for the construction of a new Plymouth South High School.

Maestas thanked his family and his staff for their support.

“This job would not be doable without a great deal of support first from family and second of all the people to my right,” he said of Assistant Superintendents Christopher Campbell and Pamela Gould, Business Manager Gary Costin and Administrative Assistant Nancy Dargie.

“We’re kind of like a family but we all believe in the same thing. We’re all in these positions to do the best thing for tor the kids of Plymouth,” Maestas said.

School Committee member James Sorensen, who has worked with eight superintendents in his many years on the board, said he was struck by the knowledge base Maestas and his staff bring to the job. “You guys really have your research down,” Sorensen said.